Judge In Virginia Gay Marriage Case Has Diverse Resume

By: Associated Press
February 6, 2014

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The judge deciding what could become a landmark gay marriage case in Virginia defies easy characterization.

U.S. District Court Judge Arenda Wright Allen was a prosecutor and a public defender. Liberals may like that the 53-year-old was appointed by President Barack Obama, while conservatives may like her years of service as a Navy officer and prosecutor.

She's been on the federal bench for fewer than three years and is now overseeing the highest-profile case of her judicial career: a lawsuit seeking to overturn Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage.

Defense lawyers and prosecutors praise her as smart and open-minded, adding that her breadth of experience makes her difficult to pigeonhole.

At Tuesday's hearing, Wright Allen did not tip her hand, promising only that she would rule soon.

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